China’s economic rise and the damage inflicted on U.S. industry has been a wakeup call to many U.S. policymakers. But most conventional economists continue to hold firm to their ideological notion that only the market can respond, and that any more proactive government action, particularly focused on key sectors or technologies, is doomed to fail.

The automation of manufacturing industries is a major public concern due to the salience of layoffs that are directly attributed to robot adoption. But closer analysis of automation’s impacts generally reveals that these fears are overblown.

The United States is struggling to move innovative energy technologies from discovery to scale. This gap could put the climate and U.S. investments at risk. A nonprofit foundation working with the Department of Energy could help fill the gap.

In the midst of the worst global pandemic in living memory, many nations make it unnecessarily complicated and costly, if not illegal, for health data to cross their borders. In so doing, they are hindering critically needed medical progress.

Food delivery apps are an important tool for enabling physical distancing and keeping people fed and restaurants in business during these uncertain times. Disrupting a competitive market that provides such an important service is, now more than ever, a bad idea.

Global supply chains have been under intense pressure during the coronavirus pandemic, particularly when it comes to medical supplies and drugs. What should the U.S. policy response be? Rob and Jackie discuss the issue with Willy Shih, a renowned professor of management practice at Harvard Business School.